The Land of Laughs
by Gwaihir10
Summary: Something dark comes to the Titans city. A sequel to Deadpan Love
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is a sequel to Deadpan Love, taking place between the end and the epilogue. It may be read as a standalone presupposing an existing bbrae relationship.

Raven and Changeling stepped out of a dark portal and gravely regarded their destination. She gave the building a dubious look and was clearly reluctant to enter. He glanced at her, trying to not be obvious about it. He also tried very hard to conceal his amusement. "It's a school, Rae," he said.

"I know what it is."

They both still hesitated. "We have to at least look cheerful," he said. She nodded, clearly unhappy. "We put off leaving as long as we could," he said. "We'll be late if we stand here much longer." She nodded again and sighed. He held out his hand out and she took it, allowing him to lead her in.

They paused a moment, again, at the entrance. Rae looked cautiously through the glass in the door. The gymnasium was brightly and cheerily decorated. Crowds of middle school students milled about, tables filled mostly with sweets laid out neatly and awaited the coming assault. "Oh, god," Raven said. "I don't know if I can do this." Gar laughed, drawing a very annoyed look from her.

"They're just kids, Rae."

"I know what they are. That's what scares me."

Now he began to get exasperated. "They made a big deal about inviting us. It's cute."

"Then why are we the only ones here? I think Rob, Star and Cy could have at least..."

"They all had perfectly adequate excuses," he interrupted with just a hint of sarcasm that she acknowledged with a tight little grin. "Are you coming or not?" She glared and nodded. "I'll do the talking," he said reassuringly. He pushed the door open and the children began cheering and clapping as he waved and grinned.

"I bet it's like a petri dish in here" she muttered even as she smiled a patently fake smile. "We're going to get all the diseases."

"Stop it."

A middle aged woman approached with a wide smile. "Thank you so much for doing this. They're all so excited. I'm Amanda Butcher, the principal."

"Sorry we couldn't have all of us here," Gar said. "The others are all on important business."

"I'm sure," she said warmly. Turning to the crowd of students, she spoke in a surprisingly loud voice, "Ok, everyone, the Titans are here. I want you all to remember that they are here at your invitation and mind your manners. I want you all to also remember that if they have to leave suddenly, you can't be upset." There was a dutiful chorus of acknowledgment and she let the torrent loose. Gar was completely comfortable. He all but jumped into the burgeoning mass, grinning and high-fiving all around him. He gobbled treats right along with the kids now that the tables were no longer off limits. It didn't take long for him to begin complying with requests for various transformations. The T-Rex was, of course, first. He had to clear a space but he transformed into a slightly smaller version of the familiar form and the students began climbing all over him.

Raven walked slowly through the periphery, drawing far less attention. A few students, mostly girls, did gather around her. She smiled woodenly and sort of half waved. "You really don't like this, do you?" one of them said.

She considered for a moment. One of the things she most dreaded about this was that she had no idea how to talk to a child like a child. Everything that came to mind seemed condescending to her, so she finally decided to talk to them like people. "Not really, but it isn't because I don't appreciate that you guys wanted to have us here for your graduation party. I just… I'm not good in groups."

"You're shy?" one of the girls said, sounding a little incredulous.

Raven realized she had never actually thought of it in those terms. "I suppose I am."

"What does it feel like to have super powers?" another girl asked.

"I don't know. I've been able to do what I can all my life. I don't know what it's like to not have them."

"Is it true you're dating Beast Boy? The news and stuff all say so," another girl asked.

Raven was a little surprised at the question but realized she probably shouldn't have been. She hesitated a second but decided to stick with talking to them rather then down to them. "For over a year. He goes by Changeling now, by the way." It always annoyed her a little when someone used Gar's old name.

"You guys live together in Titan Tower," the girl went on. Raven tensed a little. From time to time, she and Gar still got negative comments based on their relative youth and the fact that they lived together. "I have a boyfriend and having to be around him ALL the time would drive me crazy."

That made her chuckle. "Oh, that happens." Much to her surprise, one of the girls suddenly barked out a loud laugh. Raven looked at her in chagrin. "What was so funny?" she asked, a little offended. Then another of the kids began giggling uncontrollably. Then another began to howl with laughter and suddenly doubled up, grasping his middle. All around her, laughter was rising, getting louder by the second. In growing fear, she saw the look of terror and pain in the children's eyes, the wide eyes and tears contrasting with the smiles. All around the gym, children were writhing on the floor and laughing and laughing.

Some of the adults were also affected but others were desperately and futilely trying to help in some way. Raven tried to formulate some plan of action that would do some good but the confusion and cacophony were overwhelming. Reflexively, she looked for Gar and saw that he too was racked in convulsive laughter but he was on his feet and staggering towards her. She ran to him and held him up. She had to shout to be heard over the noise, "What the hell is going on?" He shook his head, unable to speak through the gales of laughter. He convulsed so violently that his body wrenched from her grasp and he fell. Next to her, Raven heard a horrible, choking rasp and she saw the girl that had started laughing first suddenly stop, her face a horrible, frozen rictus that mocked a smile. Raven realized what was happening and it felt like her stomach dropped from her body.

Gar convulsed violently on the floor, drawing her attention from the horror around her. His laughter was starting to sound like a scream. Without really thinking, she fell to her knees and muttered her mantra, calling her healing powers. They weren't great but maybe they would be enough. His heart rate was terrifically high. That was the greatest danger. Her dark aura enveloped him and she concentrated on slowing his heart and on calming him. He relaxed a bit but the awful howling laughter kept going.

Distantly, Raven was aware of one the teachers who was unaffected making a desperate 911 call. She heard other adults trying to comfort or calm children who she knew were dying. She heard Mrs. Butcher screaming at her to help, to do something, to do anything. Every time she tried to ease off the support she was giving Gar, he began convulsing again and she had to keep going. By the time the sounds of the sirens could be heard, more then a hundred still bodies had frozen smiles that would never go away.

Robin had been privately gleeful that he had found an excuse not to attend the graduation party. He had sat through the morning with a nice hot cup of coffee and some sinfully good donuts while he worked on an outstanding case. As soon as the 911 calls were made from the school, it was relayed to him and he knew what the police did. An hysterical woman was screaming into the phone but the awful noise behind her was unmistakable to him. He had heard it before. With a strangled sound that was half shout and half sob, he ran for his motorcycle. By the time he arrived, Gar had recovered somewhat but was terribly weak and sick and every few breaths he would break into hysterical giggles that made him want to throw up. Raven was moving mechanically, trying to help the first responders as much as she could. When Robin can in, sliding to a halt and jumping from the bike, he took in the scene in an instant. He ran to Gar and and put his hand on the younger hero's shoulder. Through his cackling, Gar was able to get out that he would live. Raven approached them. "It was in the food. The candy," she said in a voice as cold and distant as any he had ever heard from her. "I didn't eat any." Robin nodded. He had known that would be the case.

"How did Changeling make it?" Robin asked curtly.

"I was able to heal him as it was happening. It was enough."

"Yes," Mrs Butcher said, surprising them. They hadn't noticed her approach. Her face was a mass of tears and rage and she said, "I saw you." She slapped Raven viciously across the face, once and then again, "I saw you saving your boyfriend while all these children died." None of the Titans spoke or moved as the woman turned her back on them and walked away. Breaking into the pained silence, Robin's communicator beeped in a pattern the other two had never heard before. He glanced at it and saw the message he had known was coming.

"I'm on my way. -B"


	2. Chapter 2

Gar lay in an uncomfortable bed in the tower infirmary. He was hooked up to an IV with an antidote to the Joker venom that Batman had long ago devised. Cyborg was in the lab synthesizing as much of it as possible as quickly as possible. He was weak and violently nauseous but he had already emptied his stomach. He didn't move at all. The door opened and Rae came in, pulling the chair close to his side and sitting. She took his hand and slumped. "Star is flying in from Steel city. Batman is on his way. I wonder which one will get here first." He shrugged, unable to muster up any words. Rae lifted his hand and kissed it, holding it against her face. "How are you?"

He shrugged and spoke in a raspy, pained voice, "Alive." His breath began to catch in his throat for a second and he went on, "God, Rae… how am I? How do you think I am? I can't get the smell out of my nose, I can't… I can't goddamn believe..."

"I know," she said. "It's…" and couldn't go on.

"But I'm alive," he ground out. "I'm going to be just fine." She leaned in to embrace him but he pushed her away. "I can't goddamn believe you saved me instead of one of those kids!"

Rae fell back into the chair, stunned. "What?"

"Rae," he ground out, "how do I… they were children! They just wanted to go to high school next year. They wanted to play pokemon and just… One of them won't because you let them die." She was beyond speech for a long moment while he glared at her, and when she didn't say anything he went on. "How do I live with that?"

In a second, she went from surprised to hurt to angry. "I love you," she said in the harshest tone either could imagine those words being said with. "I saved you because I love you and you mean more to me then anyone else in the world. I didn't think. There was no thought involved." She was clearly loosing control. All around the room, things begin to shudder and move and both ignored it. "I won't apologize for that." The window, reinforced bulletproof glass though it was, splintered in a spiderweb pattern.

"So I get to look at those pictures, those faces, and wonder which one would be alive if it weren't for me… and you," he said bitterly.

Tears began to flow freely down her face, her nose ran and the tower shook. "And I was supposed to let you die? How was I supposed to live with that? This is so selfish of you! Of course you're mad and sick but I was there too! Don't you blame me for..."

"I'm not," he interrupted, "It's just… there was this one girl. Corey. She had a stutter and was shy. I was paying extra attention to her." Raven closed her eyes and grimaced as his voice began to shudder. "She was so adorable and sweet." He shook his head and his lips began to tremble. "When it started getting bad, she just reached her arms out to me, like a baby that wants to be picked up. I could see that she knew that the big tough superhero would help. She knew in her heart that I would save her."

"Gar, I'm so sorry," she said. "There wasn't anything you could do."

He visibly mastered himself. "I could at least have picked her up, you know? Maybe that would have made it a little easier for her. Something. I didn't. I went looking for you. When I saw that you weren't laughing like the rest of us, that was all I cared about. Right now, I kind of hate myself for that."

"Right now, you hate yourself because you were happy I wasn't in danger," Raven said in a softer tone.

He met her eyes directly. "Yeah."

"You knew by then it was Joker venom, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"So you knew you knew how bad it was?" He didn't answer. "Hey, I want you to answer me. Did you know I could help you? Is that why you were looking for me?" He didn't answer but he did look thoughtful. "Did you?"

"No."

"Let me describe this for you. You were dying. You left a girl who you knew you couldn't do anything for beyond hold her as you died together to find me and you hate yourself because you were relieved that I was going to live?"

"Well..."

Raven was having none of it. "And that made you lash out at me for saving your life when I couldn't have done anything for anyone else?"

"Why couldn't you?"

"Because my powers run on emotions, you dolt! In that moment, with no preparation, no time to consider anything, do you think I could have focused on anyone but you?" Gar was wide eyed and just let her go at this point. "Now how about you cut yourself some slack because you're a good man and do not deserve this self-flagellation and in the process, cut me some! I'm really not in a place where I can take care of you! If you want to feel bad about something, feel bad about being a self-absorbed ass. I am so angry that if you weren't sick I'd throw you out the damn window like I used to! Now, scoot over!"

"What?" That truly confused him.

"Scoot over. You can't go back to our room and I have reached the point where I can't sleep without you! We're going to help fight the Joker soon so we need some rest." He moved quickly against the wall. She pulled the thin blanket over them both. "Idiot."

"I'm sorry" he said quietly.

"I know."

"Tell me," he said.

"What?"

Gar gently pulled her close and held her. "Tell me."

She took a deep breath and began in a rough whisper. "When it happened, God, the noise... horrible. You know. All those people, those children… I didn't know what was happening and I was trying to figure out what to do and I saw you. I will never forget how you looked falling, trying to get to me. Your face." She shuddered. "I watched one of those little girls die. She just stopped laughing and her eyes… I knew she was gone from her eyes. I don't know exactly how I knew. I just did. That was when it hit me what it was. Joker. That vicious subhuman animal had come to our town, was killing people in our town." She stopped and took a deep breath. "How does Batman live with it?"

"Look what it's done to him."

She sort of shrugged acknowledgment. "I want to kill that filth and that scares me."

"Good."

"What the hell's good about it?"

"That it scares you."

Robin and Cyborg sat in the lab, each at a terminal, and moved quickly through data and police reports. Neither looked up at the sounds coming from upstairs. Even when the entire tower trembled, Robin never reacted and Cy only glanced up briefly. A single loud impact with the muffled sound both knew was the expensive glass the tower widows was constructed splintering did make both look up. Cyborg glanced at Robin, who shrugged. "She needs to get it out." He stretched his tensed arms and shoulders. "When Bruce gets here, he and I will hit the streets. None of you can help us with that." Cyborg nodded agreement. "I need you to keep a lid on things here. Rae and Gar are going to be out of their heads. Get them to rest and eat. I need all four of you ready as soon when I make the call."

"Understood," Cy said simply.

"Watch Rae," Robin went on. "She's going to seem better with it then Gar but she won't be. If you see her closing up, push her. Make her respond. She won't like it but it will be what she needs." He sighed and rubbed his face, the rough stubble making a rasping sound against the leather of his gloves. "Jesus, man," he said. "The principal slapped Raven."

Cyborg grimaced. "Why?"

"She blamed her for saving Gar and not any of the children."

"Damn," Cy muttered.

"Raven feels guilty for that. So does Gar. I hope to god that's what they're dealing with." They silently regarded each other for a long moment before turning back to their work.

About an hour later, Starfire entered the room, windblown and disheveled from her long flight. The set of her brows was angry but her cheeks were streaked with tears. "How many?" she asked.

"A hundred and six," Robin replied calmly. "A hundred and one students and five teachers."

"What is the plan?" she asked.

"Batman is coming," Robin said. "When he gets here, he and I are starting the hunt. You all wait here and then come take care of business when we find the son of a bitch."

Star nodded slowly. "A good plan. When will the Batman arrive?"

"Three hours," Robin said, turning back to his work.

"Then for now," Star said in a voice that brooked no opposition, "you will sleep."

"No," Robin said without turning around, his eyes on his screen.

"Yes."

"You think I can sleep, Star?"

"I think that you will try," she said adamantly. "I think that you will take your medication and that you will try." Cyborg glanced over his shoulder, surprised but at the same time not that the driven leader had to take sleeping pills.

Star walked over to Robin and took his arm, turning the chair he sat in so that he faced her. "Star, please, I need to work."

"No," she said, "You need to rest so that you can work better when you need."

"She's right, man," Cyborg said. "I'll hold the fort down."

"Check the psych wards for releases or escapes or anything odd. That was what I was starting..."

"I got it, dude," Cy said.

"OK," Robin said. He stood and suffered Star to lead him out.

When they were gone, Cyborg put his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands and felt very much alone. After a few minutes, he squared his shoulders, reached for his coffee, and got back to work.

Star and Rob didn't speak. When they stepped into the elevator, she shifted her grip so that she was holding his hand rather then guiding his arm. Silently, they went to their room and he began shucking his costume while she stepped into the bathroom. He was sitting on the edge of the bed in his underwear when she came out with a pill and a glass of water. He took the pill and drank the water, then sort of fell sideways onto the bed. Star slid in next to him, covered him with the comforter. She wished, not for the first time, that he could cry.


	3. Chapter 3

Two hours and forty seven minutes later, Cyborg saw the bat shaped jet land vertically outside the tower. Of course Batman would be early. He walked down to meet the legend and tried very hard not to feel like a scared, lost little boy who saw his father coming to get him. He buzzed the door open. "Batman," he said with a nod.

"Cyborg," he replied in that always surprisingly deep voice. "Where is the rest of your team?"

"Asleep."

"Smart," Batman said. "You called Robin?" Cyborg nodded. "Let the others sleep."

"Hard to wake him up and not wake up Star," Cyborg said.

Batman glanced at the younger hero and gave a slight nod. "I didn't know."

"About six months now." They stepped into the common room and Robin and Star were just entering. He was dressed and ready while she wore a robe.

He gravely nodded at Starfire and greeted her by name, then turned to Robin. "Ready?" Robin only nodded and started to head out the door as Batman turned. Starfire actually made an aborted gesture at reaching for Robin but stopped, looking embarrassed. The two remaining Titans trailed slowly behind until they reached the door. They watched the grim pair climb into the jet, still not having spoken to each other. Star gave a little half wave but Robin either didn't notice or choose not to to acknowledge it.

"Go sleep now, friend Cyborg," Star said gently. "I will do the holding down of the fort." For a moment, he was going to resist her suggestion, but he did need to rest and recharge and as much as he hated to admit it, with those two working the case, any research he could do was superfluous. He nodded and turned for the stairs. "Cyborg," she called after him. He turned back. "I know you sometimes feel isolated." She stepped up to him and touched his cheek, almost the only living flesh that could be touched. He nearly flinched away. "You need not. I am always here if you want, and so are the others."

"I know, Star."

"Would you instead like to sit with me for a while?" she asked. "It would please me."

He very nearly said yes but instead shook his head. "You heard the man. I need to hit the sack." She nodded, looking a little sad. He turned to leave and she went to the kitchen for something hot to drink.

Normally, it is hard to be pinned against a wall, as Gar was, and manage to get up without waking the person pinning you. He was able to just change into a hummingbird and fly out of the infirmary. Batman's antidote was effective. Now that the Joker venom was out of his system, he felt much better and was ravenous. He flew to their bedroom and changed into a fresh costume before heading down stairs. Star was sitting on the couch and staring out the windows. She smiled wanly at him as he passed and hadn't moved by the time he returned with a full pot of coffee and cereal, a brand that he liked and one he knew was her favorite. She watched him with a fond little smile as he poured her a cup, and then made her a bowl of the sugary kids cereal she liked so much. "Thank you," she said, reaching for them.

"What's happening?" he asked.

"Batman arrived a few hours ago. He and Robin are out hunting for this Joker. Cyborg is asleep. We are to wait for them to call so we can defeat this wretched man."

Gar nodded. "Makes sense."

"Raven is still asleep?"

"In the infirmary," he said. He heaved a sigh. "It's pretty messed up in there. We had a fight."

Star thought carefully before she spoke, resisting the urge to ask exactly what they fought about. "Is it better now?"

He shrugged. "At least I'm not clawing her guts out to make myself feel better. I'm such a little shit to her sometimes." Star looked as if she were trying to think of something to say and he went on. "Yeah. It's a little better."

"Garfield, after the horrors the two of you witnessed and went through together, I would fear for you most if you acted as if there was nothing wrong."

He chuckled cynically, "We're damn sure not doing that."

A deep rumble and slight tremble swept through the tower. Gar immediately assumed it was something with Raven but Starfire ran to the window. "Wake Raven and Cyborg. I must go change," she said. He looked out the window and saw the dark plume of smoke rising over the city.

"I'm going," he said. "Meet me there." He ran out to a landing that existed for precisely this reason and took wing. The smoke was coming from a dockside warehouse. It's front, facing the water, was obliterated and a fire was spreading. He was still surveying the situation when a dark disc appeared and the other three stepped through. Cyborg armed his sonic cannon while Star and Raven took to the air. Gar landed next Cy and transformed into his massive gorilla form so that no one was without backup. Someone ran out of the building, engulfed in flame. Cyborg tackled the man and rolled him to extinguish the flames. In the distance the sirens could be heard.

Batman climbed out of the water where he had apparently jumped to escape the blast. Star saw that Robin was nowhere to be seen and flew down in the first stages of panic. Batman produced a radio from his belt. "Robin. Report."

Robin's voice came through, crackling with interference but reassuring. "I went down into the sewers. I'm fine."

"I'm uninjured," Batman replied. "Rendezvous at the plane." He turned to the Titans and Raven flew down to join the group. "The only people in there were a few of Joker's men. Don't take any chances for them." He spared one glance at the burned man. "Will he live?"

"I think so," Cyborg said.

"Keep two of you with him. We need to question him and Joker might take a shot at shutting him up." He looked over at Changeling and Raven. "Keep them separate." He turned and ran down an alley next to the burning building.

There was an uncomfortable silence. Batman's directive was more then a little insulting to Gar and Raven but no one seemed ready to protest or go against his orders. Finally Cyborg said "Gar and I can go with him?" he said, his tone making clear it was a question or suggestion. They all agreed. Cyborg went over to where two paramedics were working on the criminal.

Raven approached Gar and gave Star a beseeching look. The alien understood and stepped away from them. She stepped close to him and said softly, "We were both a little crazy last night, right?"

"That's true," he said. "I was..."

"I know what you were."

He grinned a little. "Do you know what I am now?"

"Really, really sorry?" He nodded agreement. "So am I." She kissed him briefly and said "So, we're OK. Don't worry about that. Keep your head in the game and be careful."

"I love you," he said, "and I will."

"Changeling!" Cyborg called, "They're ready."

"Ride in the ambulance with them. I'll fly and keep watch," Gar replied. Cy nodded and got in while Gar transformed into a huge eagle and took to the air.

Starfire and Raven stayed around for a while, helping with the fire as they could. It was soon clear that there were no other survivors so they teleported back to the tower. They sort of wandered into the common room and sat on the couch. Suddenly, Starfire laughed. Raven jumped to her feet in a panic. "No, No, I am well," she said with a giggle. "It was an honest laugh."

"Star," Raven said in exasperation. "Are you serious with that right now?"

"It's just..." she said, and giggled briefly, "We are the damsels in distress."

"What?"

"The men are out chasing the villain and guarding the burned man and here we sit, worrying and waiting!" She covered her mouth with her hand but couldn't stop. Raven snorted in amusement. "Perhaps we should put on the nice dresses so we look good for them when they return from their manly exertions."

"We absolutely need to cook for them." Raven agreed. This was a welcome distraction. "We can't have them coming home without a hot meal waiting on them."

"Oh!" Star said, actually excited, "We must let them carry us upstairs and ravish us while we tend only to their pleasure but not our own!"

"Star!" Raven was shocked and mortified at first but gradually. "Can you imagine what they would do if we actually acted like that?"

"It would frighten them terribly," Star said.

"They would start checking if we were robots or mind controlled or something," Raven said. Starfire nodded agreement. "I'm half tempted to do it, just to see the look on their faces."

"I am not," Star said, "except for the ravishing part."

"Star!"

"What? Do you not sometimes find it pleasurable..."

Raven held up a hand. "We're stopping this line of conversation right now." she said firmly. Star stopped but had a mischievous smile that Raven found a little smug. The moment was broken when there communicators commanded their attention.

At the hospital, Cyborg sat in the burn ward with their subject. Gar was in the hall, keeping watch as a literal fly on the wall. It was perhaps an hour into their vigil when Cyborgs communicator beeped. Gar transformed and was on the floor in the hall in an instant, reaching for his. Robins voice came through. "Star, Raven, 153 North Crescent, now. Cy, Changeling, do not leave your post."

Gar stepped into the room and asked "You remember what's there?" he asked.

"Checking," Cy said, tapping on his device. "It's on Templeton campus," he said, "The tech school."

"They do anything high tech enough to interest Joker?"

"Not that I know of. Get back in the hall, this could be a distraction." Gar nodded and stepped into the hall. A nurse was passing, reading a chart. She walked past him without looking up and turned a corner. Before he changed, his excellent hearing caught that she started running as soon as she turned the corner. While it is a well known fact that chimps are vastly stronger then humans, the speed at which they can move is less well known. He dashed around the corner with a surprising burst of speed in time to see the door to the stairs close. He burst through, tearing the door from its hinges without slowing. He took the convenient, for a chimp, shortcut of just jumping down two stories and landing between the woman and the door she was making for. He screamed at her in primal challenge.

The woman screamed in a voice was cartoonishly high pitched. She was fast and had almost brought the gun she produced to bear when Gar simply bludgeoned her in a simian's awkward but powerful attack. She went down hard and didn't move. Gar kicked the gun away and grabbed her by the hair to drag her up the stairs. He entered the room and Cy said "Dude! You scared the hell out of me..." he stopped when he saw that Gar was dragging a woman behind him.

He transformed back to human. "I think," he said, "that this is the one and only Harley Quinn." He lifted the scrub shirt and looked under it, his suspicion confirmed by the red and black leotard the woman wore. He pushed her toward Cyborg, who produced zip cuffs from some hidden compartment and bound her hand and foot. He followed it by a brutal but effective search in which he showed no respect for her gender. It left her on the bed in her underwear, which was clearly incapable of concealing anything. He found another gun, two knives, and some grenades that he tossed out the window and detonated with his cannon. Gar pulled out his communicator and said "Changeling here, what is you status?"

Ravens voice came back. "It appears to have been a distraction."

"There was an attempt on this guy's life. You all need to get here. We have Harley Quinn tied up on the bed."


	4. Chapter 4

Cy and Gar both stood in the room, the thug on one bed and Harley Quinn tied up on the other. Gar stood so that he looked out the window and Cy was facing the door. The staff had been alerted and were keeping the area clear. After a few minutes, Harley moaned, looked around, and then shook her bonds. "So, is this fun time tie-up or am I in trouble?"

"Shut up," Changeling said. "Say one more word and I gag you."

"Don't let her get to you," Cy said.

"I guess I'm in trouble," Harley laughed. "What with me being in my skivvies I thought it was fun time."

"She won't if she's gagged," he shot back, jerking the sheet under her loose, making her hips shift, and ripping a strip of cloth off.

"That gave me a wedgie," she said, lifting her hips and opening her legs as far as possible, "Can you help a girl out?" She laughed when they ignored her. "A shape changer," Harley mused, "I bet that little witch chick you're dating loves..." Gar grabbed her neck, squeezing hard enough to cut off her breath.

"Open wide," he said. She responded by scrunching her face up and shaking her head as best she could. If she had a free hand, she would have done the "tick-a-lock" gesture. Gar's expression didn't change. "I will do this until you pass out and then I'll gag you," he said coldly. Her chest started to heave and she relented, opening her mouth. He stuffed the leg of her own leotard in her mouth with his free hand but even then he didn't let go. Her eyes began to bug out. His grip increased until the wiry muscles of his arm were corded. Harley made a harsh, gagging sound.

"Dude," Cyborg said, grabbing Gar's wrist. "Ease off." He had to pull Gar's hand away. Their demented captive sucked in a pained breath and then writhed and leered salaciously at them as Gar tied the strip tight, gagging her. "Go back in the hall," Cy said. "I got this."

"Yeah," Gar said, glaring hard at the woman on the bed. "That's probably best."

He stepped into the hall just in time to see Batman, Robin and the women coming towards the room. "What happened?" Batman asked. Gar described the events as succinctly and clearly as he could. "I wasn't aware you had enhanced hearing in human form," Batman said.

"It isn't, really," Gar replied. "A bit better then normal but not, like, a lot better."

Batman nodded with just a hint of a tight grin. "I see."

Robin grinned, "It isn't a trick. He didn't mean for us to catch her." Batman nodded agreement.

"How do you know?" Raven asked.

Robin pointed at Batman with his thumb, "If he wasn't aware that Gar had such good hearing, it's a pretty good chance Joker wasn't either. If this were planned, if it were a trick, it would depend on knowing about that because the only reason she got caught was that Gar heard her when a normal person wouldn't. QED, Joker didn't mean for her to get caught."

"It also proves," Cyborg said thoughtfully, "that the crispy critter knows something Joker doesn't want us to know."

"Correct," Batman said. "Can adequate medical care be provided for him in your infirmary?" Cyborg nodded. "We move him there and we hold Harley there too. It's more secure."

"I'll arrange it," Robin said, turning from the group and opening his communicator.

"I have a question," Raven said sharply. "Why didn't we move him to the tower in the first place?" Batman looked at her and didn't speak. "You wanted to see if Joker would try to kill him. You left Cy and Changeling in the wind and didn't tell them..."

"It was made clear to them to expect an attack," Batman interrupted.

"Batman," she said coldly, "I say this with the immense respect you deserve but we are working with you, not for you. You have a plan that involves us or uses us, you tell us."

He regarded for a long moment. The legendary intimidation he radiated began to effect even her but she steeled herself and held his eyes. "If I don't?" he asked.

"I didn't give you an option." Eyes went wide and mouths gaped open all around her, except for Batman and Rob. The former didn't react and the latter grinned.

"Understood," Batman said. "That being cleared up, are we good to go to the tower?"

They were back at the tower in about an hour. Most of that time was spent moving the badly burnt thug. An intern insisted on accompanying them to care for the patient. As soon as they hit the door, Cyborg was activating every defense and sensor they had available. The windows were all covered by retracting steel blast doors. Rae and Gar went to help the doctor and to restore order to the infirmary, which was only fair. Rob and Star, ironically given the jokes about preparing a hot meal, went to get food together. Batman went to interrogate Harley. After about an hour, they met in the common room. "I got nothing from her," Batman said, leading things off. "The man we have in the infirmary is Harold Altman. Former Marine. Two combat tours in Afghanistan. He made a living in MMA fighting after an honorable discharge. He went into a spiral of minor violent crime and mental illness over the last five years... PTSD, manic depressive disorder. He had just been released from a VA facility after treatment for a suicidal episode." There was a glum silence around the table. "As we established earlier, he knows something Joker doesn't want us to get." Batman shook his head and squeezed the bridge of his nose. "I hope we can help him. Until we find out what he knows, we're just chasing and hoping to get lucky. We caught a break with capturing Harley." He nodded towards Changeling. "We won't have that kind of luck again. Any word on when Mr. Altman might be able to talk?"

Raven replied, "We asked the doctor," she said. "He doesn't know. With burns that bad, the victim might fall into a coma or just die, even after days."

"Or he could wake up in five minutes," Gar added. "No telling."

"Marines are fighters," Cyborg said. "I bet he'll wake up."

"Until he does," Batman said, "We will continue as we have. Robin and I will pursue leads as to Jokers whereabouts and intentions. I suggest you four stand by, as we were doing. Any time you have to go out for anything, two go and two stay here. Essentially, three pairs, one always here."

"We don't leave for anything less then an emergency," Robin added. There was general agreement.

"Do we have any clues as to his intentions?" Starfire asked. "Why did he come here?"

Batman shrugged. "Two guesses. One, Robin is here. That one is obvious. The other is worse. At the school party… there is some indication that events may have been manipulated to get Raven and Changeling there but not the rest of you." There was a dead silence at that. "Nothing conclusive," he went on. "Nothing certain. Just a feeling. For two people that strike me as being fundamentally private, you two spend a fair amount of time in the news." He held up a hand quickly. "Not your choice, I know that."

"Of course they draw attention," Satrfire said. "They are unaware of it, but they are adorable."

"We're what?" Raven said, her voice going up an octave.

"You're freaking adorable," Cy said in a serious tone with an undercurrent of humor. "That's why you got all those interview requests you turned down last year." There were sounds of general agreement around the table.

Except for Batman, who sighed in exasperation. "Whatever the cause," he said, "it is true that it is a statistical fact that you two have received more media attention then any other metahuman couple of your age. The two of you were the only ones at the first attack. I am merely suggesting there may be a connection."

Raven crossed her arms over her chest and Gar did his best not to laugh. "Star was in Steel helping the Titans East, which could have been contrived. Cy was speaking at that UCLA engineering thing… also easy to arrange.," he said. "Robin just said 'no' with the flimsy excuse that he needed to work. How could that have been set up?"

"For that, you don't have to set anything up," Rob said, "you just have to know me and he does. Anything else?"

"I think that Cyborg and I should work together in this pairing scheme." Starfire said.

It looked as if Batman were going to say something but he was clearly nudged under the table. "I don't think there's anything else of use we can do here" he said, standing. "Robin, let's go."

Cy and Starfire moved Harley to the infirmary so they could watch her and guard Harold Altman at the same time. It was only about eight in the evening but Gar and Rae headed to their room. As soon as the door was closed he got so far as actually opening his mouth before she said, "If you're thinking of saying a word about how..., just don't." She tossed her cloak on the floor and began taking off her costume. "Rob and Star are adorable. That's who's adorable," she muttered.


	5. Chapter 5

Cyborg wired himself into a data port in the infirmary so he could directly monitor the security systems. He took the straight back visiting chair while Star had pulled a more comfortable one in from the common room. Altman was still unconscious and the doctor who had come from the hospital was catching some sleep. Harley watched every move the two Titans made with malice and a wide smile. "The constant stare of this insane woman is disconcerting." Star said.

"True," Cyborg said, getting up. "Also, we can't talk in front of her, so that means it's nighty-night time." He took an IV out of a cabinet and began preparing it, making sure that the demented woman couldn't see what it was. Harley rolled her eyes dramatically and neither of the Titans took any notice.

"It will not harm her?" Star asked. Cy turned to reply, which put his back to Harley. He winked briefly at Star.

"Maybe, but it's all we have. I really don't care if," he looked at the label and listed some side effects from another sedative entirely, "she suffers liver damage, kidney damage possibly requiring dialysis, and respiratory difficulty, possibly up to failure." He walked over. "Sleepy time, murderer," he said. She twisted her arm to avoid the needle but he gripped hard with his artificial arm. Her squeal of pain was clear even through the gag she still wore. Cy inserted the needle and hung the bag. Harley was out in seconds.

"It will not truly harm her?" Star asked.

"Nah," Cy said, "but if it put a second of fear in her heart, I'm good with that." He slumped in his chair and put his head in his hands. Star pulled her chair closer. "You remember," he said, "back when we fought used to fight the Hive kids and Mad Mod? Control Freak, for God's sake?"

"And Slade and Brother Blood and the Brotherhood. It was never just a game."

"It felt that way sometimes. It damn sure was never like this," he replied. Star was forced to nod agreement. "I wonder if that invitation to speak at UCLA was real or if Joker wanted me out of the way?" He shook his head. "The head of the Engineering dept. asked where I went to school. I named my high school before I thought. He laughed; assumed I was joking." Star tried to think of something to say but she was perplexed as to where he was going with this. "He told me that he could get me straight into the PhD engineering program. Mechanical or electrical… maybe both."

"Friend Cyborg, do you want to go?"

He sat back in his chair and shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "This whole thing came up. No time to think."

"You could pursue this education here," she said. He didn't answer. "It is not just that," she said sadly, almost whispering.

He grinned at here. She found it almost ghastly in its cynicism. "Not the time for this, Star," he said. "let's keep our minds on business."

"It is Dick and I," she went on regardless. "It is Raven and Garfield."

"Star," he said, his voice raw and choked, "Please, just let it go."

She came to her feet and embraced him tightly, cradling his head and stroking his face. "Victor," she said, "you are loved. Go and learn. Stay with us. It does not matter. You are not alone."

Starfire was beautiful. Of that there could be no argument. She was athletic yet still womanly; firm and soft. She had a physical openness that was undeniably sensuous. He could feel her hands on the skin of his face, strong yet still gentle. He could feel her face against his, her cheek wet with a tear he hadn't seen fall. Her hair smelled wonderfully of floral shampoo. His external sensors told him that her body was tight against his, her breasts firm against his chest. He knew that her thigh was pressed into his hip and pressure indicators told him exactly how smooth and curved and alive it should have felt but he could not really feel it. This was not sexual for her, it was comfort and compassion. It was also not sexual for him, no matter how much he wanted it to be, not even a little bit. "I know, Star" he said. "I know."

By the time Gar was finished with his shower and emerged wearing the boxers that were his typical sleepwear, Rae was curled up on her side, facing the wall. He lay down next to her. After a few minutes he said, "Are you really ready to go to sleep?' She shook her head. "I want to say it again," he said, "I'm sorry for acting like that last night. What I said was awful."

"You're forgiven. I'm sorry for acting like I did when I knew it was just..." she said. "I wasn't lying when I said we were OK. Really."

"No, we aren't," he said.

She turned to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, I mean… I know we aren't mad at each other. We're OK that way."

"Yes," she said, settling so that she could look at him comfortably. "We are, in every other way, no where close to OK."

"Can we stop saying OK?" He said with a half grin.

"OK." They both tried to laugh at that. Instead, Rae started to shake. "God, Gar, how do we do this?" She took a shuddering breath and all the light bulbs in the room exploded.

"I don't know," he said, ignoring the sudden noise. "Before you all got to the hospital, I was gagging that bitch and Cy had to pull me off her. I was throttling her… go look at her neck. Those marks are from me."

"Let me guess," she said, beginning to stroke his arm, "you're upset that you aren't feeling guilty for chocking her."

"No," he said. "It's still… you know. The school."

"Of course it is," she said. "Me too. I don't think we're going to be right for a long time." Raven leaned in slightly so that their foreheads touched. His hand moved up and went into her hair. They froze for an instant, eyes locked in a tight gaze. They needed to get out of their heads. They needed something good. She twisted awkwardly and tugged at her nightshirt, needing his help to pull it over her head and off. She rolled to her back and raised her knees; he settled between and lowered himself so he could kiss her, deep and wet and hot. Her hands moved over his bare torso, then down to tug at his shorts. Somehow, he got them off without loosing contact with her body. With reckless abandon, they fell into each other.

In silence and shadow, Batman crouched next to a fire escape. Across the street he could see Robin similarly situated. Bruce could see his protege only because he knew exactly where to look. On the street below, a man sat in a stolen van and waited, unaware of the attention he had brought on himself. They had been here about ten minutes before the van arrived. Now, they waited for the contact Joker had sent to buy what was in the van. Probably weapons or explosives but they weren't actually sure. A car turned the corner into the alley, moving slowly. A man got out of the van and stood in plain view, his hands visible. The car pulled up close and parked. Two men out of the car, two out of the van. They were going to simply exchange vehicles, payment apparently already having been made. On Robins hip, his communicator vibrated and they moved. For them, it was just another day on the job. Batman leaped from his vantage and slammed feet first into his first target. The man went down without a sound. Robin was typically more acrobatic, preforming a twisting aerial kick that was just as effective as his mentor's less theatrical attack. Then, each hurled a projectile that dropped the remaining two.

Robin turned to survey the surroundings for any possible threats while Batman went to the van, quickly inspecting it for traps. He found none. He opened the rear gate and quickly looked in the nearest few boxes. "Semtex," Batman said without turning. "About two tons of it."

Robin whistled. "Big damn boom," he said, "or a whole lot of middle sized ones." He called the find into the police and they waited. "We aren't any closer to figuring out why he came here."

Batman shrugged. "It could be anything. We just have to keep working the problem." Robin nodded and they waited in silence for a few more minutes. "You're involved with Starfire," he finally said. Robin glanced over and didn't answer. "How do you find having so many of your team seeing each other effects operations?"

That surprised Robin. It surprised him a lot. There was no condescension. There was no hint of correction or superior smugness. It was an honest question seeking an honest answer. "With Rae and Gar, it was easy. He needed to mature and she needed to be brought more into the world." Batman nodded, gesturing for the younger man to go on. "They did that for each other. I just have to remain conscious that in a fight, if one is in trouble, the other is always going to react to that first." He shrugged. "You plan for it."

Batman nodded. "With you and Starfire?"

"I try very hard to not let it effect the work. I actually run more things past Cyborg then I used to. It hasn't effected us much yet but we haven't had a bad one till now, either." He chuckled. "Just before you got here, I wanted to work but she bullied me into getting some sleep."

Batman nodded. "The League is having more and more people pair off. I'll remember what you've said." He looked at Robin squarely. "I might want to run some specific situations past you when we have more time."

Robin couldn't speak for just a second but he rallied quickly. "Sure, Bruce. Any time."


	6. Chapter 6

Harold Altman died at 3:37 AM that night, finally succumbing to his terrible injuries without ever waking up. Cyborg watched the monitors slow and stop without expression. He shut them down and covered Harold's face with the sheet, his expression never changing. They had given up on the two person watch schedule so he was not only alone, he should have been resting. He hadn't been able to. After briefly informing Batman on the comm, he stood over the table and it's grim contents without moving for a long time. Almost against his will, he turned and looked at Harley. She should have still been sedated but somehow, her eyes were open, looking groggy and drugged but aware. She was smiling with horrid malice and glee, her eyes on his, and spoke in a honey sweet voice, "Semper Fi, do or die."

He didn't say a word to her as he calmly refilled her sedative. His face didn't change at all, his movements were crisp, measured and correct. Something in his manner persuaded him not to speak again. Truth be told, it was the first thing any of the Titans had done that had frightened her at all. Then he went to bed.

Gar was awakened by Rae's elbow smacking him soundly and squarely on the nose. He recoiled and reflexively caught her other hand as it flew blindly at his face. She was flailing in her sleep, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps. He grabbed her and restrained her arms and pulling her back to his chest, which produced a single yell and wave of swirling black that threw nearly everything in their room around. She stared, bug eyes indicating her terror, for a moment before realizing she had been dreaming and taking a few calming breaths. "You're fine," he said soothingly. "You're fine..."

She twisted away from him and sat up on the edge of the bed, elbows on her knees and head in her hands. He stroked the bare skin of her back. It was an image that would stay with Gar for a long time. Her unselfconscious nudity, the bleakness of her posture, and empty expression made her look more vulnerable then he had ever seen and it nearly broke him. He wanted to say something, to tell her anything that might help but he just couldn't think of a damn thing so he stroked her back gently and stayed quiet.

After a few minutes she shuddered and turned to look at him. She immediately reached for his face. "You're bleeding," she said hoarsely.

"You got me with your elbow," he replied. "No big deal."

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice becoming more normal.

"Nothing to be sorry for," he replied. She went to their adjoining bathroom and returned with a wet washcloth. After washing off what blood there was, she gave it to him and he held it to his nose to stop the bleeding. She still sat on the edge of the bad. "Want to talk about it?" She shook her head almost violently. "OK. Want to come back to bed?"

"Can you just leave me alone for a second please?" she snapped and made a nearly spastic quelling gesture with her hand. "Just let me have a damn minute."

"Sure," he said, moving away from her.

Rae sat there for several minutes, went to the bathroom again, and then returned to lie down. Even though he made no move towards her and didn't even begin to speak she snapped again, "Let's just go to sleep." He rolled over without responding. Sometimes this was what being with Raven was like.

Starfire was deeply asleep when Rob entered their room. When Batman had gotten word of Altman's death, they had agreed to hang it up for the night and get a few hours rest before hitting it again. He could, of course, move with near absolute silence and got undressed and in bed with no noise at all. It was when he actually lay down and the bed inevitably shifted that she woke up. "My love," she said sleepily, "has something happened?"

"Altman died about a half hour ago. I need to sleep," he said tersely.

"Then we have learned nothing?" she asked. He shook his head and fell prone next to her. "Do you need your..." Star had begun to ask if he wanted his pill but he was asleep as soon as he stopped moving. After briefly considering, she got up. Robin never stirred. She hovered silently from the room and went to the infirmary. Harley was out again. The still, covered form on the other bed made tears start in her eyes. Star pulled the sheet down and looked at the ravaged face. She lay her hand on his forehead in what a human would call benediction. Haltingly, she spoke in her native tongue, "Sleep in peace and healing, Warrior who lost his way. Battle and pain are for us, the living."

Batman entered the spare room he had been told to use and was just able to remove his cowl and cape before he was unconscious.

A notification from Robin went out to everyone in the tower at about 11:00 AM that a lunch meeting would be held to discuss what could be done. In their room Gar took the message, vainly hoping that he had gotten to it in time for Rae to sleep through it. He failed and she groaned and rolled towards him as he read the text. "Lunch meeting," he said. She nodded sullenly. "I'm showering," he said getting up.

"Gar?" she said. He turned. "I'm sorry for the way I acted after I hit you." She shook her head and looked rueful. "I'm also sorry I hit you."

"Nothing to apologize for," he said.

"No, I'm being serious. You were trying to help and I was…" she trailed off and shook her head. "I had a bad case of being me."

"You did." He made a circular gesture with one finger meant to encompass both of them "But you have to remember that you being you is part of why this works." She smiled at him. "Anyway, lunch meeting at noon. I'm showering."

At noon exactly, Rae and gar came down the stairs to see that their was a truly enormous amount of take out food piled on the table and that they were the last to arrive. In spite of everything, Gar perked up at the smell. "Dude! Greek food!" He pilled up a truly impressive amount of feta salad, hummus and falafel and laid to with a will. No one at that table was skimping but his effort was impressive.

"Thank you all for your promptness," Batman said. "As you all know, any information Mr. Altman had is no longer available. The clown has been laying low as far as we can tell. Robin and I managed to intercept one shipment of explosives but we have almost nothing else."

"Almost?" Cyborg cut in.

"Nothing else," Batman corrected himself. "Additionally, I can't stay here forever. With word getting out that I'm not in Gotham, Barbara has more then she can deal with." That caused a silent stir to pass through everyone except Robin.

"When are you leaving?" Starfire asked.

"Not quite yet," he replied. "I do have a sort of… a request to make." He turned to where Rae and Gar were sitting. Almost comically, she had a soda can to her lips and he was poised with a falafel halfway to his mouth. Both froze. "If Changeling and Raven would agree to go to Gotham and assist her, I think it may be helpful here."

They both put down their respective consumable and looked at each other. For once, Gar took the lead. "Why?"

"If you recall, there was some speculation that the two of you were the target. It may lead him to take some action that will help us find him, such as following you back. If we were there, I would have an easier time finding him. He falls into… patterns."

"What if we took Harley with us?" Raven suggested. "That might encourage him to head back."

"And remove an annoyance we're dealing with here," Robin said. Batman nodded agreement.

Rae and Gar looked at each other in the way couples do, seeking approval before either speaks for both. It made everyone at the table smile a little, except of course Batman. Gar shrugged and said, "OK. Road Trip."


	7. Chapter 7

Raven and Changeling had arrived in Gotham via a portal and after dropping Harley at Arkham, teleported again to an arranged spot where Alfred was waiting with a car. It would never do for them to just appear in front of Wayne Manor. He had greeted then with a courtly gesture that was part nod and part bow. "Mr. Logan, Miss Raven. Miss Gordon is eagerly awaiting your arrival"

"Please, it's just Raven and Garfield," Raven said. "How should we address you?"

"Alfred is fine, Miss Raven," he said with just the lightest touch of dry sarcasm. It was clear to her how he had been able to deal with the huge personalities he had spent so many years around. "Will you be wanting dinner? Miss Gordon has not eaten and it would be an excellent opportunity for her to brief you as to the situation here."

The two young heroes shared a glance. They were being quietly, respectfully, and completely managed. "That would be great," Gar said. "Thanks Alfred."

"You are very welcome, sir. I must say, we are very glad to have you here. Bane and Killer Croc are among the rouges that have been active since Master Wayne has been absent. He left strict orders for her not to engage either, simply based on their physical prowess. I believe her frustration was nearing the breaking point when we were told you were coming."

They threaded through the legendarily grim and dirty streets of Gotham. Night was falling as they drove and at one point, they passed an intersection and Gar glanced to his left. He was certain he saw more working prostitutes in that one look then in the entire rest of his life. He shook his head. No wonder Rob got out of this place. They reached a point where the run down apartments and storefronts gave way to warehouses, then with surprising suddenness to rolling woodlands. Rae nudged him and indicated that he should look out the other window with a tilt of her head. On a crag overlooking a wind swept sea, a structure that looked more like a castle or fortress then any contemporary structure loomed up, dark and ominous, lit only by a single light near the entrance. "Jeez," Gar muttered. "We're going to Hogwarts."

"How did people not figure out that was Batman's house?" Raven asked. "I kind of expect to hear a werewolf howl."

They were speaking softly but Alfred clearly heard them, "Frau Blucher will be meeting us at the door," he said, his voice dry enough start a forest fire. Gar snorted in amused surprise. Raven looked blank.

The interior was, oddly enough given the Gothic exterior, art deco. Rae found herself warming to the place, based on nothing other then the fact that it didn't look like anywhere else she had ever been. Alfred insisted on carrying the two backpacks that contained their few essentials and he led them in. Barbara Gordon was waiting for them, out of costume and wearing a warm up suit. "Hi," she said with a quick wave and a welcoming smile. Her manner was completely unlike either Rob or Batman's. "Nice to meet you guys," she said, offering a quick handshake to them both. "Come on down to the cave and we'll get started while Alfred gets dinner… unless someone will finally let me order take-out."

"Miss Gordon, as I have told you before, no 'take out' shall enter this house as long as I posses the strength to kick it across the lawn."

Barbara stood on tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "I love Alfred and Alfred loves me!" she said in a singsong, teasing voice. Alfred walked away muttering something that sounded like "Americans..." The second he was out of sight, her affected persona dropped away. Raven wondered why she would bother with such a facade for Alfred's sake. He was clearly too sharp to be fooled. "This way. First thing on the docket is Bane. With Bruce gone he's barely bothered to hide."

"Either Gar or I could take him out alone," Raven said. "Maybe we could split up?" For a moment Gar was concerned that Batgirl might take that as insulting but she never batted an eye.

"No need to take the risk." She had led them to a book case that opened when she triggered some hidden catch, then down the wide stairs it had hidden. "Bruce said we needed to make it loud and obvious that you two are here, so as soon as we eat, we're going to do a quick recon and then bust in and bust heads."

They reached the bottom of the stairs and laid out in front of them was the most famous secret hideout in the world. They both stopped for a second and sort of took it in. "I always thought Rob was lying about the giant penny," Gar said softly. Raven nodded agreement.

Barbara noticed they were no longer following her and looked over her shoulder with a flash of annoyance. There was the Bat's influence. "I would say 'take a picture, it'll last longer' but no pictures allowed. As I was saying, I have an address. There is a blind spot on a roof they aren't covering because the surrounding area is heavily surveyed." She sat at what appeared to be a central control area with the largest computer screen Gar had ever seen. "Raven, you can teleport us there?" Raven nodded agreement. "OK, then I'll do a little sneak n' peek..."

"I can turn into something small and look at anything you need," Gar interrupted.

Barbara went on as if she had not been spoken over, "And Changeling will also scout around. If Bane is there, which I believe he will be, we just drop in. Raven, you take his men. You can keep the bullets under control. I'll be on overwatch looking for surprises. Changeling, I want you to beat the living crap out of Bane. He needs to lose and lose badly. We're making a statement here. Agreed?" Gar nodded and Raven, feeling a bit bowled over sort of wanted to nitpick the plan just to show Batgirl that she wasn't their boss. Raven also realized that was a little childish so she nodded agreement. "OK, no need to push it on your first night. Tomorrow, we..." They spent the remaining time going over plans for dealing with other Gotham luminaries.

Dinner was announced by an alert that came up on the screen they were using. Barbara stood with a sigh. "He thinks I've been pushing myself. Prepare to be stuffed." Dinner was of a quality that Gar and Raven rarely experienced. It was prime rib for the ladies and an enormous portabello cap with a spicy, nutty sauce for the gentleman. Asparagus in plum sauce and potato puree. Strawberry shortcake that made the normally abstemious Raven consider a second piece. Gar did more then consider it; he exceeded it.

"Alfred..." Gar said, "Dude, I am never leaving. That was amazing!"

"Thank you, Sir," he replied as he began clearing the table. Raven stood to help him but Barbara waved her off. "We have never had a vegan guest before. I relish the challenge."

"OK," Barbara said, rising. "Let's go work some of this off. Get changed and meet me in the cave." She turned and walked away without looking back.

"I guess the bat effects people the same," Raven said. "That could have been Robin."

Alfred returned to the room. "Your things are in your room," he said. "I'll show you up." Raven had been slightly concerned that they would be given separate rooms, not being married and Alfred being seemingly very proper. The room he led them to was enormous and ornate. It featured a balcony that overlooked the ocean and a bed that was clearly a good deal larger then a standard king. They had no time to look over their ostentatious accommodations, and dressed quickly.

Barbara was waiting for them in the library in front of the hidden entrance. She opened the door and led them down. "I have current photos of our entrance point from several angles. Raven, will you be able to get us there with these?" Raven glanced over the images and nodded. "When we get there, take cover and wait for my word to go. Got it?"

Raven again bristled a little but managed restraint and surprisingly, Gar spoke. "Batgirl," he said, "We got it. You need to get that Raven has been doing this almost as long as you have and I've been doing it longer. We're used to working in a team and you aren't. Slow your roll a little." Barbara tilted her head slightly and her eyes narrowed. He cocked an eyebrow at her. She nodded brusquely. Raven opened the portal in the tense silence and they stepped through.

Gar immediately transformed into a hummingbird, Raven ducked into the cover of a water tower's shadow and Batgirl was over the side of the roof and on the wall in a heartbeat. Gar buzzed out over the street and saw that it was deserted for the block around their target building except for fully armed criminals. Maybe mercenaries was a better term. They wore body armor and carried military grade rifles. It stunned him. In Jump City, this kind of display would have been instantly met with massive force; SWAT, helicopters, maybe even National Guard and certainly the Titans. Here, it seemed that people just walked around the area instead of through and went on about their business. He quickly circled the block and returned to the roof, transforming next to Raven. "Six guys in the street, paramilitary types," he whispered. "Light and movement on the second floor of the building. I saw Bane but I couldn't get a count on how many were in there with him."

"Six more," Barbara whispered, startling them both. The windows are rigged with claymores pointing out and up, set to go off if the windows are breached." It must be admitted she sounded a little smug. She held up a tablet. "Pictures." They paged through them and made final plans.

Across the street, Bane was sitting at a table looking over some kind of blueprints. The six mercenaries were off duty, so they were lounging around, four actually playing video games. Out of nowhere a black gate appeared. Bane was up and moving in an instant, triggering his chemical enhancements as he went. The men were grabbing for weapons. A black ball entered the room and broke open, forming into a curved barrier that cut the men off, leaving only the three heroes in an irregular space with Bane. Possibly most disconcerting of all was the roaring, bounding twelve foot tall, fifteen hundred pound green gorilla that charged straight at the villain.

Gar met Bane, taking two punches and a kick that that actually hurt in spite of his mass. Bane was an extremely skilled fighter but he had always counted on being bigger and stronger then his opponents. This was not his fight. His habits were counterproductive. Gar's first huge overhand attack missed but his second struck Bane a glancing but immensely powerful blow, staggering him. Gar then slammed both fists down once, then twice. Both struck with sickening impacts and the crack of breaking bones. After that it was mopping up.

When they teleported back to the manor, Raven now able to take then directly inside, Barbara had nodded and said "Good work. That went well." She glanced sidelong at them and slightly rolled her eyes. "I suggest you get some rest but you do what you want. I'm going home." Rae and Gar went up to their room.

Once they had changed out of costume and into the luxurious robes that were provided, as if by agreement, they went out onto their balcony and looked out at the ocean under the moon. Rae molded herself to him and he wrapped an arm around her. "This feels good," he said.

Rae nodded, "It felt like forever since we did something." She leaned away from him and looked thoughtful. "I wonder..."

"You wonder what?"

"Batman asked us to come here because Barbara needed help, which she did. It also might pull the clown back here, especially since we put Harley back in the Arkham Escapatorium." Gar chuckled at her rare jest. "I'm wondering if he also knew this would help us. Feeling effective. Getting away."

Gar thought for a moment. "I bet he has lots of good reasons for every move he makes." They stood in each other's arms for several long minutes until she broke away and took his hand, leading him towards the bed. He suddenly chuckled. She gave him an inquiring look. "Since Alfred made that joke, I've had movie references bouncing around my head."

Rae had wondered where the line that made him laugh earlier had come from. Yet another movie he could quote that she had never seen. "What obscure thing has bubbled up from the depths now?"

He put on a bad Irish accent and pointed. "A man would have to be a sprinter to catch his wife in a bed that big!"

She laughed and actually blushed a little. "Don't worry. I'll slow down after a lap or two."


	8. Chapter 8

Gar's reaction to nightmares was very different then Rae's. She flailed in her sleep and unconscious release of her powers would do varying levels of property damage. He didn't move at all… he just moaned and talked in his sleep. It is a fact that dreams are only remembered when the dreamer wakes while it is still going on. Rae was well aware of that. Sometimes on nights like this, she would be awakened by the weight of his emotions, less often by the noise he was making. It didn't happen often but those times she would watch him and fight the urge to hold and comfort him, hoping he would pass through it and not have to remember. That night in the opulent room in Wayne Manor, Gar had a nightmare. This time, fear and desperate, impotent rage rolled off him and startled her awake before he ever made a sound. Rae rolled onto her side to face him, watching him. He muttered the name "Corey" one time, his whole body jerked and he gasped himself awake. She wrapped herself around him instantly and whispered "You're OK. I'm right here. It's just a dream." He stared wildly for a second and then relaxed.

"I had a nightmare," he said, still a little disoriented and sounding very young.

"I know," she said.

He swallowed and cleared his throat before he could speak. "Yeah, well… just a bad dream." He gave her a perfunctory squeeze and began arranging his pillow and covers.

She hesitated but finally asked "Who's Corey?" He looked surprised and she immediately understood that it was because he expected her to know the name. Before he could speak it hit her. "The shy girl at the school." He nodded. She desperately tried to think of something to say but just couldn't. It took him a long time to fall back to sleep and she found that she couldn't until he did.

They woke later that morning when an alarm went off. Gar turned it off and Alfred's voice came across a speaker. "Good morning. It is 9:00 AM. Mrs. Gordon will be here in an hour and breakfast will be on the veranda."

Garfield put on a mock posh British accent and said "Breakfast will be on the veranda," in gentle mockery. Rae grinned slightly.

"That's correct, sir," Alfred replied. " Also, the speaker is open until one of us shuts it off."

Rae chuckled. "We'll be there, Alfred." She reached across Gar and found the control. "Now that was funny," she said. He stuck his tongue out at her. They arrived on the aforementioned veranda a few minutes before 10:00 and again had a wonderful meal.

Barbara arrived precisely on time and tucked into an enormous plate of scrambled eggs. "Croc is the next one on the hit parade," she said. "Bane ended up being pretty easy and this one should be even simpler. No need to put on a show or anything… word is already all over town that there are two new players. I have to get back to work soon. I guess you two have some time to kill. Anything you want to do while you're in the big city?"

Gar shrugged and Rae said "We didn't expect a lot of down time. Anything useful we can do?"

"Be visible," Barbara said instantly. "Fly around. Stop some muggers or something." Both of the Titans nodded agreement. "Keep in mind this is Gotham. Be ready for someone to take a serious shot at you." She glanced at her watch and took a bite of eggs that impressed even Gar. "Gotta run. Be careful, don't hesitate to call me." She dashed off without another word.

"Hurricane Gordon," Gar said. Rae nodded agreement.

"A lucid assessment, Mr. Logan," Alfred said, surprising them both. "I trust you find the veranda to your liking, sir?"

Rae covered her mouth with her napkin to hide her smirk. "Alfred, dude," Gar said. "You are relentless."

"Whatever do you mean, sir?" he replied.

"Alfred," Rae said with a surprising tone of affection, "you have raised sarcasm to an art form."

"Sarcasm?" Alfred said as he began gathering plates. "I don't know the meaning of the word. More coffee and tea?"

"Yes, please," she answered and watched with her tiny smile as he walked away. "I like him," she said.

"I can tell," Gar said, sounding a little disgruntled. "So we just fly around and be visible?"

She nodded. "I'll teleport us to the roof we attacked Bane from and we can go from there." After they lingered over their drinks for a few minutes, enjoying the view of the ocean, they changed into costume and and Rae opened a way to the roof. They exited the portal and took to the air, Gar in his massive quetzalcoatlus form. They flew randomly through the man made canyons of Gotham. It was unproductive as far as stopping crimes went. They were an unfamiliar and intimidating sight and it seemed that anyone with ill intent thought better then trying the two new heroes to see how it went. What was certain was that they were very visible.

They returned to the manor at about six that afternoon. Almost as soon as they were through the portal, Barbara approached them. She was in business attire, wearing tennis shoes and carrying dress shoes. She could have been a working woman anywhere. "No action?" she asked.

"Nothing," Rae said.

Barbara nodded. "It gets a little more exciting after dark. You made the news on every station, by the way. Things get weird in Gotham but a green dinosaur is something new."

"What now?" Gar asked.

"First we let Alfred engage in his ritual stuffing of the superheroes. Then we hit the sewers and roust out Killer Croc."

Back at the tower, Starfire was becoming more and more concerned with the men around her. Cyborg was quiet and withdrawn, barely speaking at all. In the brief time since Gar and Rae had left, they had spent hours together in the common room simply waiting. They had the television on but barely noticed it. Sometimes Cyborg would play a game but mostly they sat and started numbly at the screen, hardly aware of what was on it. Every time she tried to initiate conversation, he was polite but distant and the effort soon trailed off. Robin was simply not there. She knew that he was exhausting himself but he had good reason and as much as she wanted she knew she had to tolerate it. Even Batman was a source of concern. It was the first time she had really spent around the bat and she didn't like what she saw; obsession and an uncaring lack of emotion that seemed to her inhuman. Worst of all, Robin was acting exactly like him. Fathers and sons, she told herself. It's never easy.

The monotony, even relatively short term as it was, made both of them nearly jump out of their skins when Robins voice crackled over their communicators in a ragged, gasping tone. "Airport! Move! We have eyes on Joker!" Starfire grabbed Cyborg's extended hand and exited through a hugely expensive window without slowing, a sonic boom shaking the empty tower as they left it.

Robin ran as hard as he ever had. Joker was visible ahead on the the concourse of Jump International but the distance wasn't closing. That lanky son of a bitch could move when he needed to. He heard the occasional gunshot as Joker scattered wounded victims behind him. He passed them where they lay, not stopping. They were alive. Dead people don't divert manpower. All around him screams and shouts of terror echoed. He ran on in grim determination, forced to ignore it. Distantly, he heard the all to familiar cackle of malicious glee and he saw something that forced him to slide to a stop on his knees. An obvious explosive with a counting timer had been dropped, its garish green and purple ribbons making its source clear. He opened his channel to Batman and said "Lost him, concourse three. Bomb. Disarming now."

"Clear," Batman barked in reply. Robin quickly examined the explosive. Powerful enough to do a lot of damage… apparently the clown had gotten hold of at least some semtex. The trigger was simple, he saw, in fact very simple to disarm but it was clearly designed to be time consuming. Barely restraining the urge to scream himself, he set about disarming it.

It took Starfire only moments to reach the airport at the blistering speed she was achieving. She circled briefly and Cyborg screamed to be heard. "Drop Me! I'll cover the planes." She did. Joker would only be here if he wanted an aircraft. He hit the tarmac with enough force to leave a crater but was on his feet in an instant, his sonic cannon charged and ready. Star opened her communicator, "Robin! We are here. Cyborg in on the ground near the planes. Where do you need me?"

"Robin is dealing with a bomb," Batman's voice came over the channel. "Stay in the air. Cover the runways. All traffic is grounded. You see anything taking off, disable it."

Star did as she was told and after only a few seconds she saw a door open on the roof of the airport. "Movement on the roof..." she paused a second to come nearer. "It's him." She dove at the desperately fleeing, purple clad figure. As she flew down. She saw Batman emerge from the same door Joke had, running hard. For just a second, she saw that hideous chalk white face looking up, his distorted features made more terrible by the wild, mad glee in his eyes and the too wide laughing mouth. He tossed something ahead, off the roof, and waved at her as he dived it, simultaneously dodging her starbolt attack and flying off the edge. She had to pull up to change direction and it took a second. In that time she saw that Cyborg was charging toward where Joker should land. Batman jumped over the edge, firing a cable to swing down, the fall being too far for even him to withstand.

The object Joker had thrown hit the ground and expanded into a large airbag, such as stuntmen use. Joker hit it and bounced several yards, landing nimbly on his feet and instantly moving. A sonic blast tore up the tarmac under his feet, Cyborgs shot being slightly errant. The clown hit the ground with a thud and a cry but managed to clamber to his feet. He held his left hand up, holding a cylinder with his thumb keeping a button depressed on its end. "Back off, boys and girls," he called in his high pitched tone. "The thumb comes up and bad things happen!" He backed away quickly towards the plane with the open door. The door began to close but he raised a pistol and fired once. A woman in a pilots uniform fell out, dead before she hit the ground. Cyborg paced the madman, his cannon trained on him. Star hovered near, her eyes and hands glowing green. Batman approached silently. "Damn, girl" the clown said, "You are a beauty. What would I have to do to get you in some black and red spandex?"

"Die in pain and I will consider it," Starfire ground out.

Joker laughed in response. "I'll call you." He continued backing towards the plane. It appeared no one else cared to try to close the door. He glanced at Cyborg. "Tell me, dickless," he in a mock sympathetic tone, "does it ever bother you watching your little friends getting all busy when you can't play?" Cy's face didn't move and the sonic cannon was steady. He reached the plane. "Here's how it goes, kiddies. This is my ride. I see any of you or any other planes near us, its 'Thumbs up Seven up' and the blood rains down somewhere." He jumped nimbly up and pulled himself into the door of the jet and it closed.

Up on the concourse, Robin had finished in time to get to the window and watch the end of the drama. He tried to think of something, anything, to do but couldn't. He opened his communicator and pushed a key. Raven's face appeared and he said, "He's coming to you."


	9. Chapter 9

Starfire lanced through the air, carefully controlling her speed so that the airliner Joker had hijacked stayed just within sight, to her a nearly motionless dot. There was no way the Clown would be able to see her here, especially at this speed. There was also no way he didn't know she was here. It was an obvious ploy but one they had to use. Behind her and coming up rapidly would be Batman and Dick in the stylized black jet, easily making up the headstart she and the commercial jet had. Behind them would be Victor in the Titan's private aircraft, which while faster then the airliner did not have the power of Bruce's absolute top of the line equipment. They would be in Gotham in a less then two hours.

In the Batcave, Barbara was watching the progress of the airborne chase on a satellite map. Rae and Gar sat nearby but were paying less attention. Gar sat with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped, and watched Rae. She was agitated, her normal calm demeanor coming across as brittle instead of strong and stoic. Few others would notice the tense set of her eyes but he did. "We have about three hours," Barbara said. "Sometime before that, Bruce will give us our marching orders." She gave Raven a sidelong glance and refrained from speaking. Even without knowing Raven at all, she could see that something was wrong… even given how very wrong things were in general.

Gar made eye contact with Rae, very deliberately mouthed the words "let's go" and stood. She took the hand he extended and let him lead her away. Barbara glanced at them over her shoulder but didn't react. They walked slowly to a far dark corner before either spoke. Gar pulled her to a stop and then around to face him. Again, she let him. "What are you thinking?" She shrugged. "Not much?" She gave a wan half smile. "What are you feeling?"

She shrugged again. "I should be angry, I guess. I should be seething and hating him. I'm not. I just feel… sick. My stomach actually hurts." He nodded but didn't reply. "You?"

"I'm past angry. I'm cold. I've never felt like this before." Rae took his hands and held tight. Gar swallowed and took a deep breath. "We; and I mean the Titans not just us; we've always planned how not to hurt criminals. We've worked to save them if we had to."

Rae nodded and whispered. "I know."

"But… but he kills so many..."

"I know," she repeated.

"And he might have come after us, just because," his voice broke for a second, "just because he thinks we're happy. Just because he thinks it's funny. That's what I think, anyway." His voice was more bitter then she had ever heard. "Not that, you know, we're important to him. We weren't his goal. It was just a little something extra for him. Like Corey." Her heart was breaking for him.

Emotions roiled in her belly, rage and hatred and fear, and she had to clamp down tight to maintain control. Her face became expressionless and remote and her posture became very rigid. "I understand, my love," she said in her most even and colorless tone. His flashed to her face in surprise. It was not her demeanor that brought him up short, that he was accustomed to. It was her words. She had never spoken to him like that before. She wrapped his hands in hers and pulled them up, kissing his knuckles and resting her cheek against them. "I do... but you can't. Gar, you can't do it."

He lowered his head so that his forehead rested on hers. "Why not?"

"Do you really need me to tell you?" He whispered that he did. "Because I'm selfish," she said. He pulled away far enough to look quizzically at her. "I'm selfish and if you kill him, even if you get away with it, it will change you. Either way, I'll loose you."

Robin had been silent since he and Batman had taken off. Bruce flew the plane and looked neither right nor left. "How do we save the plane?" he finally asked. "I've been trying to come up with a way but…He's going to bail out and blow up the plane." "

"I don't think we can. He knows he can't let it land."

Dick visibly struggled with his words. "There's an option."

Bruce glanced over at him. "A long shot and a dangerous one."

"Still an option."

"No," Bruce said bluntly. Robin began to protest. "Starfire can crash in through the side of the plane and surprise him. Maybe she takes him down before he does anything and maybe he doesn't have it rigged to go up in such a case. What are the odds of that?"

"He isn't suicidal. He'll have an exit strategy." Robin protested. "As small as it is, it's a chance."

"If the plane explodes with her on it, will she survive?"

Robin had to swallow deliberately before he could speak. "I'm not sure. Maybe. Probably. Hell, I don't know. Does it matter?"

"Yes" Batman said simply. "If we can't find any other options, I'll ask her to try it."

"No," Robin replied. "I'll ask her."

Starfire flew steadily, maintaining her pace. While she was often simple and emotional, she was not stupid. She had come to the same conclusions Rob and the bat had. She knew she could catch the airliner in a matter of seconds and she could tear open the door with little effort but was she fast enough to stop the clown before he did something horrible? Likely not. Her reactions were quick but not any faster then his. Maybe even not as fast. She wasn't sure. At times like these, she had come to rely on Rob's judgment. It was as if he knew her abilities better then she did herself. More then once he had set her tasks she did not believe she could complete and he had rarely been wrong. If he said she should take the clown, she would do it. While Rob was unsure, or was desperately trying to convince himself of it, she knew that she was unlikely to survive the combination of a bomb made by the Joker and the massive force of a fuel-air explosion from the plane's tanks. She refused to allow herself for even a moment to consider it.

Cyborg allowed the autopilot to do the flying as he ran the situation over and over in his mind. He knew that Rob and Bats would have the strategy and tactics side of things nailed down far better then he ever could but there was one thing he knew better then they; technology. He ran the problem again and again. Could he get information from the airline and do something useful remotely? Was there some flaw in the airliner's systems he could take advantage of? Possible approaches would occur to him and he would quickly find a flaw. Maybe his mind was just mush from stress and lack of sleep and he would be better served shutting down and getting some sleep. No. He shook his head to clear it and took a deep breath. "Let's take a step back," he said aloud. "Am I seeing the whole problem?" He tried reframing the question. It wasn't the plane that was the problem. It was the bomb they had to assume was set and that damn detonator Joker surely had close to hand that he could use anywhere on the plane. He stopped at that thought and cocked his head to one side. The detonator. The real problem was the radio detonator. He laughed and thought this new perspective through carefully. Reaching down to toggle the comlink with the Batplane he muttered "Got you, you son of a bitch." Once Rob replied, he simply said, "Jamming."


	10. Chapter 10

Albert Stein was not what he once was. At the age of fifty two he had high blood pressure, he was too heavy and his doctor was on him about being pre-diabetic. He was divorced and his daughter Kelly didn't seem too interested in a lot of contact; he had been too worried about work and not enough about what was important. Still, he had once been a tough son of a bitch. He had won more then he lost in the ring but had led with his chin more then he should. Now, he sat on a plane in his cramped little seat and watched a chalk white, leering lunatic pace the aisle and rant.

Joker held a cylinder in his left hand, his thumb poised close to the button and in his right a handgun. Albert watched carefully and thought hard about what the madman was doing. He wouldn't want to just kill them all unless he had an exit planned. From all Albert had read and heard about the Joker, he was not suicidal. He would only use the obvious bomb as a last resort. The gun he had already used twice. At least no one was dead yet.

Albert glanced carefully to where Joker stood, a row behind him and saw a young girl. She was trembling in her seat and her face was crumpled in as if she desperately wanted to cry but was afraid to. She looked like Kelly; same age, same hair, same kind of clothes. That girl looked just like Kelly and the Joker wasn't suicidal . He leaned forward in his seat and half groaned, half growled.

Joker turned at the sound, as Albert had hoped, and even with the blood pressure and everything else, he moved with surprising speed. Somehow, miraculously, he got his hands on Joker's gun and wrenched it down to point at the floor. The clown began cackling in glee and rained blows down on Albert's head and shoulders with the butt of the detonator. It hurt far more then the worst Albert had ever taken in the ring.

Suffering the pain, Albert clung like a limpet and desperately twisted at the weapon. Through clenched teeth he screamed at the other passengers to get up, to help, to do something. No help came. Joker suddenly dropped the firearm and wrenched at Albert's hold trying to escape. Hoping to surprise the murderer, Albert released his hold and spun around, his feet going into a balanced stance quickly enough that even he was surprised. Joker lifted his arm high to bring the detonator smashing down with killing force and old reflexes took over.

Albert twisted first from his hips and turned his torso and in perfect time, in perfect reflexive form, he threw a right hook with power that came all the way from the ground. It landed full on the pointed chin. Joker's head snapped around and for a second his eyes glazed over. A brief flair of hope spurred Albert on. Joker stopped laughing. His face contorted with rage. Albert moved in to press the attack but it was futile. The clown easily slapped two attempted blows away before snapping out two jabs, faster and harder then Albert had ever seen or imagined. The older man staggered back, falling to his back in the aisle, and in a flash of speed that seemed inhuman, Joker snatched up the gun. For a second they regarded each other and Albert laughed. "Got a good one in, you bastard."

Joker rubbed his jaw. "Yeah, you did," he said and blew Albert Stein's brains all over the floor.

It was only seconds later, seconds that Raven would dwell on, that a dark circle of a portal opened and she hovered through. Changeling jumped from where he had been hanging on her hood in some small form, transforming into a large chimpanzee in the air. Joker saw them and began triggering the detonator. Nothing happened. In the instant of surprise, Gar was on him, flailing away in the wild, looping attacks natural to chimps. Dodging and weaving away, Joker started to bring the gun to bear only to have it snatched from his grip by a black tendril of energy. Joker was forced to step back and defend against Gars attacks. They moved quickly through the first class area and his back finally ran up against the front wall of the cabin. In a nearly hopeless last resort, Joker pulled a thin, wicked blade and went low, stabbing cleanly through thick muscle and twisting with hateful force. Gar screamed in pain and primal rage and struck Joker repeatedly across the face. Bones cracked and blood flew and the clown went down.

Gar fell backwards, going back into his natural form and clutched at his stomach. Rae was there in a second, her healing aura enveloping the wound. "Everyone, out," she snapped at the first class passengers. They bolted back to the coach section. "Flight attendant!" she yelled. "Up here now!"

"Don't be scary, babe," Gar muttered, slurring his words.

"You get a pass on that 'babe' only because you got stabbed," she said. A flight attendant scurried in, her uniform disheveled and her face streaked with tears. "Tell the pilot to wave the wings. Don't ask questions. Do it now." The woman looked as of she were going to say something and Raven barked "Now!" A few moments later, the plane rolled right, then left, then right and Raven's communicator activated.

"Jamming off," Robin's voice came through. "Situation?"

"Joker is down," Rae responded, most of her attention still on Gar's wound. "Changeling was stabbed. I'm seeing to it but he'll need medical."

"Understood," Batman said. "Good work."

"One casualty," she said, her voice almost breaking. "Male, middle aged." She took a deep breath. "Gunshot to the head."

"Yeah," Robin replied. "Yeah… OK."

Gar's pain had considerably lessened and he took her hand, lifting it from his wound and holding it briefly. "I'll be fine, watch him" he said, gesturing towards Joker.

"Yes," Joker hissed out past his broken jaw, "Watch me." He laughed for a moment. "I might do a trick."

Raven's head turned slowly. In the time it took, darkness enveloped her and two violet eyes became four red slits. "Maybe I'll show you a trick or two," said a deep, grating voice. Tendrils of inky black lashed out, holding Joker's arms and legs at full extension and one wrapping around his face, twisting the bones together in a way that would have made any normal person howl. Joker just laughed harder. "Tell me," she growled as she floated up to put her face directly in his. "Tell me why." She released his jaw so he could speak.

"Shits and giggles, little girl," Joker said. "Though I bet if you look, several entrepreneurs of my acquaintance will have found Bat's time away very profitable. What with Bane and Croc making so much noise at the same time." He giggled for a moment. "I turned a few bucks on the deal myself."

Even with her demon so present, Raven went cold. "You mean that coming to our town. Killing all those children. All that… evil and bedlam and chaos was a distraction… just so you and all your filthy friends could make some money?"

Joker shrugged as best he could while so restrained. "I'm a business man after all."

"Why us?" she grated out. She felt Gar's hand on her shoulder and he said something but she ignored it. "Why did you target us?"

"You two?" Joker asked, looking honestly confused. "No one cares about you two. I was hoping bird boy would be there." He cocked his head at her. "You thought I was coming after you two?" He lapsed into gales of mad laughter that didn't stop until Raven choked him into unconsciousness. Her demonic aspect still upon her, she looked at his still form on the floor and began to lean down.

"Rae," Gar said sharply. "Look at me." When she didn't turn, he raised his voice. "Raven! I listened to you and didn't kill him! Now you listen to me!" Slowly, reluctantly, she turned. "Bring it down," he said softly. "Come back to me." Slowly, the dark aura dissipated and the red eyes faded out.

Now herself, Raven fell to her knees and gasped for breath. "It was all just nothing," she said. "It all meant nothing... not to him or anyone else." Gar fell to his knees and held her. "It was just..."

"Madness," Gar said.

"He deserves to die," she whispered.

"I know."


	11. Chapter 11

When Raven had finished caring for Gar's knife wound, she went back into the main compartment of the airliner with some vague idea of dealing with the body of the unfortunate victim or seeing to any other wounded. The flight crew had removed the corpse already, a wide blood stain showing where he had fallen. A man and a woman had gunshot wounds also but two doctors and a nurse who were on board had stabilized them. A flight attendant tentatively approached her and hesitantly said "I'm sorry, Ma'am, I mean excuse me..."

Raven turned to the man and he trailed off. She realized he was afraid of her. "It's OK," she said in what she hoped was a reassuring voice. "What do you need?"

"The pilot wants to know what he needs to do."

She nodded. "Get in contact with flight control. Do as they say." All around her the passengers were silent and scared and every eye was on her. "He won't hurt anyone else," she said, wishing that Gar could speak for them. He was vastly better at it. There was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch on forever. Finally, a teenage girl gave a gasping sob and started to wail. An elderly woman across the aisle moved to kneel next to her and held her, making comforting sounds. It spread quickly across the compartment and people begin reacting, the stress and horror beginning to be let out. Sone cried, some laughed, and some just sat and stared.

It was an assault of emotion on Raven's senses and she literally staggered back to the empty first class area where Gar and the unconscious, bound Joker still lay. He knew exactly what her look meant. "Meditate," he said, pointing to a seat. "I can deal with things."

"You're hurt," she said brusquely. "I can handle it."

"You did your thing," he said, indicating his stomach and referring to her healing efforts. "I'm fine. It's all closed up."

"Gar, don't. Just don't. Not now," she ground out. "I can't... I can't loose control on a goddamn plane full of people so don't you give me something else to worry about."

"OK, Rae, Not moving, see?" She took a deep breath and centered herself, cutting off as best she could the cacophony behind her. Gar raised a hand towards her from the floor and gestured. "Come here." Rae approached him and took his hand. Her senses focused on him in way that surprised her. It drowned out the wild chaos in her mind and she felt only him. His sick regret that a man had died, the physical pain of his wounds now past, his receding fear and relief that the crisis was over, and overlaying it all the concern he felt for her. The contact steadied and calmed her and she briefly squeezed his hand tight before letting go. She was able to smile at him just a tiny bit, more fully in control then she would have thought possible. "Sit down," he said, indicating one of the seats. "There's nothing else for us to do."

Raven looked around, finding herself unwilling to rest. She felt she needed to keep moving or... something would happen. The agitation and adrenaline of the fight was still full upon her. After trying to think of something useful to do and failing she sat down. A quick glance at Gar showed that he was smiling in a way she found smug. "Oh, shut up," she muttered, which made him chuckle. For possibly the first time in her life did something purely for effect. She dramatically rolled her eyes hoping it would make him laugh again. It did.

Slowly and stiffly, Gar got to his feet. She began to move and protest but he waved her off. "Not going far. Scoot over." She quickly switched to the window seat and he took the other. "Floor was getting uncomfortable."

"Are you in pain?" she asked.

"A little. Not bad," he replied.

They sat for a long time. Gar had gotten better at not needing to fill up every moment with incessant talk but this was highly out of character. "You're quiet," she finally said.

"I'm just..." he trailed off, shaking his head.

She took his hand and said, "Don't make me pull it out of you," she said, amused at the reversal.

He frowned and clenched his fist, squeezing her hand and for a moment closing his eyes. She realized that he, unlike she, wasn't avoiding the elephant in the room. He angrily gestured at Joker where he lay and spoke bitterly. "Is this what our lives are going to be?"

"No. It will always be a part but it will never be all." She watched him silently for a beat. "You know that." He shrugged. "No! You listen to me, Gar. This..."

"Not now, Rae." He again pointed at Joker. "Not with that... thing right there." She checked the time on her communicator and saw that they were still an hour from landing in Gotham. For the entire time, they were silent and Raven couldn't stop thinking that it was the longest she had ever seen him not speak. They were met at the Gotham airport by a massive police and emergency medical presence and, of course, their friends and teammates. Batman was there along with Police Commissioner Gordon.

Gordon thanked them gruffly but sincerely and Batman told them they had done a good job. Rob was smiling, something that had become more rare as he aged. Cy and Star greeted them with their usual warmth and humor. They were debriefed by both Gotham Police and the FBI, the procedures feeling interminable. It fell mostly on her. Gar was uncharacteristically dour and taciturn. His answers short and direct. When they were finally finished with the authorities, Raven opened a portal directly into the tower. It was a relief to be home.

Without a word, Gar immediately went up the stairs to their room. With an apologetic glance at the others, Rae followed him. By the time she entered, he had already gone into the bathroom. Raven was hesitant and unsure. She vacillated until she heard the shower start before she made up her mind and went in. "Gar, you're kind of scaring me," she said loudly enough to be heard over the water.

"I thought you would be glad I wasn't talking for once," he said.

"Come on, Gar. Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Try to divert me." The water turned off and he stepped out. "I'm just... look, you're really worrying me right now," she said.

He began drying off. "Don't worry. Really. I know this is weird for me but I'm just... I let you have space all the time to meditate or deal with things." He pulled on his shorts and stepped around Rae into the bedroom.

She followed him, her arms crossed defensively. "I know but that's... different."

Gar went to the window and looked out at the bay. "Really? How?"

"Because I have to do it. I do it all the time," she was beginning to feel exasperated. "Now you are, which is a change. Thus my concern. I don't think I'm being unreasonable here."

"You aren't," he said, still not looking at her. "I guess I am, a little."

Rae sighed and squeezed her nose as if she were trying ward off a headache. "OK. Do you want to be alone?" she asked. He shook his head and sprawled out on the bed. She took him at his word and also cleaned up, returning wearing a long nightshirt and lay down, keeping some distance between them, bizarrely feeling as if she were intruding in her own bed. After pulling the comforter up around herself, she fiddled with the hem nervously.

Gar turned on the television they had installed when it became his room too and began idly flipping channels, finally settling on an old movie. After a moment, Rae turned on her nightstand lamp and picked up the ever present book that lay next to it. It took long enough for her to finish a chapter and for Gar to watch the wedding scene from "The Godfather" before he spoke. "Let's go out tomorrow."

Without looking up from her reading in a deliberate effort at normalcy, she said "OK. What do you want to do?"

"I want Italian food," he said. "Somewhere good for lunch. Then lets do something fun."

Rae put the book down and lay on her side to face him. "Like what?"

"Let's try that go-kart racing place that just opened or play miniature golf. Maybe just go to the park." He also shifted so that he was facing her.

Moving closer and reaching out to first stroke his arm and then take his hand, she said "Sure. Any of that sounds great." Rae lifted his hand to her face and kissed his knuckles. They mutually released their grip and he began stroking her hip while she gently touched his cheek. She slid her hand down his body to where he had been wounded, applying her healing power a little. "Does it hurt?" she asked.

"No." He moved closer and slid his hand under her nightshirt to the bare skin of her back. Her hand also went to his back and pulled them closer till she lay half atop him. He kissed her lightly but she would have none of it, and almost roughly ran her hand into his hair and behind his head and reciprocated with fervor. Neither had occasion to speak for some time.

Later, they lay nude and entwined, the disarrayed sheets partly on the floor, partly on the bed, and half covering them. Gar was flat on his back, one arm behind his head as he started straight up at nothing and the other cradling Rae as she lay curled into him, her leg draped across him and her head on his chest. A rare mischievous smile flitted across her face and she said "Feel better?"

He chuckled. "Yeah."

"Want to talk now?"

"Nothing really to talk about. I was feeling pretty... you know... dark I guess."

"Understandable," she said.

"But someone reminded me, both verbally and in other ways, that there's a lot more in our lives then that... that hatred and insanity."

"Like going out for lunch and go-kart racing?" she asked. "We never do those things."

"Maybe we should start."

"Only if we also do things I like."

"Who doesn't like go-kart racing?"


	12. Chapter 12

After Rae and Gar had departed so abruptly, leaving the other three Titans awkwardly standing in the common room, Robin moved first. He smiled wanly at Cyborg and took Starfire's hand to go upstairs but she pulled away. "You go, my love," she said, "I will be up soon." Robin looked at her curiously and saw that she was looking at Cyborg. He nodded and left. Starfire approached Cyborg and tenatively reached out to him.

"Well" Cy said, "time to hit the rack. G'night, Star."

"Victor," she began but he cut her off with a raised hand.

"You know I prefer 'Cyborg'," he said.

"I do not prefer it," she replied firmly. "You are Victor, the good man who is my friend and who happens to be a cyborg." She took his hand and led him to the couch. "Please sit with me."

"We need to get some rest and he's waiting for you..."

"Richard can wait," she replied. "I ask again if you will sit with me?"

He sat on the edge of the couch, his back not touching it at all. "I'm sitting."

"Victor," she said, saying his name clearly and deliberately. "I am filled with worry."

"I'm sure Gar will be fine," he said. "He's acting.. all quiet and stuff but Rae will take care of him."

"And he will care for her." Starfire's voice hardened a little. "You will stop beating the bush around."

He fell back full on the couch and leaned his head on it's back. "Jesus Christ, Star!" he moaned. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to accept that I worry for you and not try to dismiss it!"

"OK, I accept that and I appreciate it. Can I go now?"

She completely ignored him. "I worry for you because you are always alone. Raven and Garfield have each other and often seem to think of little else. Richard and I, too. We have dealt with madness and evil and horror and we can all go to our beds for comfort and healing..."

He stood abruptly. "Well, I can't do that, can I? Just like the clown said, I lack the equipment. Thanks for pointing it out." He began walking out of the room.

"Victor, no, I spoke poorly, I did not mean that, I merely meant..."

"I know what you meant," he said bitterly, stopping but not turning to look at her. "I know I can never have what you and Rob have. I can never have what Gar and Rae have. I just can't. Ever. Nothing will change that. I just have to deal with it."

"We all love you..."

"I know," he said, finally turning back to her. "I never talk about this and I prefer it that way but, you know, before my accident, I dated. A lot. My first time was when I was fifteen. It wasn't the last." Star approached him, her face anguished but he warded her off with one hand. "Then this happened," he said with a gesture at his body, "That part of my life was over."

"Victor," she said tremously.

"No, you wanted to hear it. The weird thing is I don't think about it much any more. I remember what sex was like and how it made me feel but it's just gone. Nothing there but memories. You know, you and Raven are both gorgeous. You're beautiful. I know that," he paused and sighed, "but only aesthetically. Intellectually."

"I didn't mean to speak of this, I meant only to tell you that I wanted to spend more time with you."

He regarded her for a long moment. "Sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have jumped down yout throat."

"I think," Star said tenetively, "that maybe this matter has been on your mind?"

"It's hard sometimes," he admitted. "Seeing it right there, all the time." He chuckled a little, "Rae thinks she's so controlled." Star grinned in understanding. "She has no idea how obviuous she is. Even more then BB. It would mortify her if we told her."

"I believe you are right," Star said, feeling some little hint of optimism. "Her eyes speak and belie her silence." She sat back down.

He nodded. "They do and I like that. A lot." He walked back and sat next to her. "I like the way you get all exuberant and it embarrasses Rob."

"I do it on purpose sometimes," she admitted with a mischevous grim.

"Really?" he replied in obvious saccasm. Starfire laughed a little. "It makes me happy, Star, god knows it does. All of it... but sometimes it is pretty damn hard."

"This is what is important. When you feel that way, you must tell us. You must tell me." She paused and considered her next words. "What is, is. There are things that you must live with; things that you will face with courage, but you must not feel alone."

"I guess you need to get upstairs. Rob will be waiting."

"Victor, do you really need to recharge?" she asked.

"No, I didn't do that much but I still need to sleep," he said, a little confused.

"Stay here with me," she said. He looked a little confused as Star put a cushion in his lap, settled her head comfortably upon it, and pulled a throw around herself. "Tell me stories about yourself until we sleep."

A few minutes later, Robin was coming down the stairs to see what was keeping Star. He saw her on the couch, her head in Cyborg's lap, whose deep voice spoke quietly. For a moment he felt a flair of jealousy but it passed quickly. He smiled ruefully and went to bed.

Thye next morning, Raven as usual woke first. Gar didn't stir at all as she rose to use the bathroom. She quietly dressed and went down for her tea, finding that she was looking forward to their planned outing. She was surprised to see Cy and Star asleep on the couch but moved quietly as possible past them into the kitchen. The effort failed and Star's eyes opened. She sat up with a quick glance at the gently snoring Cyborg and followed Raven into the kitchen. "Good morning," she said. "How is Garfields wound healing?"

Rae, as had been discussed, probably thought her expression was opaque but the way she smiled a little as she spoke told Star all she could want to know. "He seems fine."

"I am glad," Star said. She retreived her cereal from the cupboard while Raven cut up a piece of fruit. "Do you and Gar have any plans today?"

"Actually, yes," Raven said as she began perparing her drink and filling a cup with the automatically brewed coffee for Gar. "We're going out for lunch and to do something fun."

Star looked curious. "What kind of fun?"

"Something silly. He wants to play minature golf or race go carts. Something normal like that."

"I believe this is wise," Star nodded. "Could we perhaps all go?"

Raven looked a little pained. "I'm pretty sure he was thinking of it being the two of us when he suggested it."

"If that is what you want, I understand," Star said, unable to keep dissapointment out of her voice. "I had been hoping that we could all be together today."

Raven regarded her for a moment. "Does this have anything to do with why you were sleeping with Cy on the couch?" Starfire nodded and implored Raven with her eyes. Raven thought for a moment. "Is he OK?"

"He... will be. I think it would help our friend if he felt our love and support today."

"A group outing it is."

Gar was awake when Raven came back into their room. She put his coffee on his nightstand, the tea on her side and lay down with her bowl of fruit. Gar immediatly reached over and grabbed a piece, grandly ignoring her swatting at his hand and saying no. "So, lunch and going out to play today?"

Gar nodded, "Yep."

"I was talking to Star and it's going to be all of us."

He glanced over with raised eyebrows. "So you decided that we were having a team thing rather then a date?" He emphasized the words "you" and "we". She nodded, pointedly not looking at him. "Oh. OK." he said.

"Yes." she said, still not looking at him.

"You decided?"

She looked over at him. "Is this going to be a thing?"

He grinned and said. "I am terribly upset that you have treated me in this dismissive and inconsiderate manner."

Raven sighed. "Really?"

"I think you should do something nice for me."

"Like what?" she asked suspiciously. He wiggled his eyebrows. She glared at him for a moment. "Being serious now. When I went down, Star and Cy were asleep on the couch."

Gar's expression completely changed from relaxed and amused to concerned. "That's weird."

"Star thinks Cy needs his people around him today."

"Oh," Gar said, his tone making it clear that he considered the matter satisfactorily closed, "OK." He again reached for her bowl and she handed him a piece to keep him from pawing at the rest. They lay in companionable silence for a while. After stealing a third and, from her warning glance, final morsel from her he said, "I was being weird last night after everything." She shrugged. "As usual I made you deal with my stuff and ignored yours. Sorry."

"In case you haven't noticed, while it is true that you do tend to do that, you also do this. You apologize, you are more contrite then you need to be, and you put the focus all on me."

"I do?"

"Yes. Every time. It's our... method," her voice was calm and completely matter of fact, "and I like it. It works."

"Can I ask one thing?" She looked at him expectantly. "What does 'contrite' mean?"

She smiled. "Look it up. It'll be good for you."

"So, how are you?"

"He didn't beat us," she said. "We fought the Joker, Gar. Up close and personel. We faced depraved inhumanity and kept our humanity. No matter what he did or how much pain he caused, when push came to shove, we didn't let him destroy who we are. We proved we are better then him. So, how am I?" She shook her head with an expression even Gar couldn't quite place. "I'm going to be just fine, in a while, and so are you."


End file.
